To say that the Eastern men’s and women’s track and field teams have been having some success this season would be an understatement.

Out of five outdoor events this season, the Eastern track and field squads have finished no worse than second in overall team standings.

Last month, both squads placed second in the Indiana State Invite, while most recently the squads have finished first in both the Western Illinois Lee Calhoun meet and the Memphis Invitational competition.

At the Memphis Invitational competition, the Eastern men’s and women’s squads continued their strong season, with the men winning a team title and the women finishing in second. The Eastern men posted a score of 188.5 points, which was good enough for first place of the five NCAA Division I schools.

In individual events, Eastern athletes placed first in seven events including sprinting, hurdling, jumping and throwing. In addition to the individual successes, the Eastern relay teams were also able to chip in with four victories.

On the men’s side, freshmen DeMarcus Brooks and Zye Boey continued their strong season with dominant performances in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes. Brooks was able to edge Boey in the 100-meter dash in 10.33 seconds, compared to Boey’s time of 10.35 seconds. Boey was able to get the win in the 200-meter dash 20.97 seconds, while Brooks finished in 21.12 seconds.

Both runners’ times in the two events broke the NCAA regional standard.

Also contributing on the men’s side was sophomore thrower Tyler Arnholt, who won the discus throw with a personal best throw of 166 feet, 6 inches. The throw was good enough to place Arnholt in 10th all-time on the Eastern career list.

Junior jumper Ian Winston won the high jump event with a jump of 6’8.75”.

Not to be outdone was the performance of the Eastern women’s track team, which placed second at the Memphis Invitational.

Their finish at the Memphis Invitational was the second time this season the women’s team has placed second at an invitational (Indiana State Invite). Red-shirt freshman Megan Gingerich placed second in the 800-meter run 2 minutes, 14.69 seconds, which was good enough to secure her seventh place on the Eastern career-list in the event.

Not to be forgotten has been the consistent effort of junior thrower Kandace Arnold.

Arnold finished second at the Memphis Invitational in the shot put, with a throw of 47’0.25”, which marked the fourth time this season Arnold has broken the NCAA Regional mark in the shot put.

If the Eastern track and field athletes continue to perform with the consistency that they have displayed to this point in the season, than this truly could be a season to remember.

Neil Schneider can be reached at 581-7944 or at jnschneider@eiu.edu.

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